A farmer was digging drainage channels when his excavator cut through the main Durban – Johannesburg fuel pipeline. The fuel spill contaminated many dams, but again the damage was only visible from the air.

These are just two of the many examples of aerial surveys provided by volunteer private pilots flying under the Bateleurs banner.

The Bateleurs fly missions at the request of policy makers, scientists, community leaders, conservationists and environmentalists. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) of pilots who freely give their aviation skills, the use of their own aircraft and their time, in support of conservation in Africa.

The Bateleurs flies for NGOs, government departments, the media, educators, researchers, parks and reserves to give them an aerial perspective of environmental problems. There is no charge to a beneficiary organisation or individual. When a beneficiary asks for a flight, the Bateleurs’ assess the request and, if it is approved, find a volunteer pilot willing to fly the mission for them.

Pilot members and their aircraft provide the equivalent of 70 per cent of the annual budget. The balance is sourced through fundraising activities. Since it is not commercial, the pilot can be a private pilot. To qualify as a Bateleurs’ pilot, fixed-wing, helicopter and light-sport aircraft pilots must have at least 400 hours flying time, at least 250 hours of which must be as pilot in command. Weight-shift microlight pilots must have at least 120 hours. All pilots must own, or have the use of, a suitable aircraft.

The Bateleurs is supported by grants from a number of foundations and trusts, in particular two from the UK. The organisation operates on a very tight budget. They have been in existence since 1998 but employ only one staff member on a full-time basis, to manage membership, co-ordinate missions and fundraising efforts and run the office.

The Bateleurs say that it would be out of the question for an NGO to source the funds to acquire, maintain and insure a fleet of 160 plus light aircraft – plus reimburse the costs of the pilots and aircraft owners who fly the missions requested by beneficiary organisations.

In the spirit of the maxim which says “one volunteer is worth 20 pressed men” the Bateleurs is proud to be able to say that most of their pilots come looking to fly for them, rather than in response to recruitment drives. But then the flying can be idyllic and tremendously rewarding.

In addition to flying conservation and environment missions for beneficiaries, the Bateleurs has developed an educational outreach programme called The Bateleurs Bonizwe programme.  (Bonizwe is a Zulu word which means “look at the country”.)

They hope to stimulate in young South Africans an awareness of conservation and environmental issues and aviation, by providing them with the hands-on experience of flying, and the insights of an aerial perspective.

The Bateleurs was started by the inimitable Nora Kreher who was heavily involved with opposing the mining of sand dunes. In the late 1990s Nora conceived The Bateleurs – based on a similar organisation of volunteer pilots in the United States, called LightHawk.

Nora played a key role in the successful fight to save the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park from mining, was a well-known environmentalist and was also a patron and trustee of several South African conservation organisations.

The Bateleurs is now run by Steve McCurrach who can be contacted by phone on +27 828911 689 or through: www.bateleurs.org.

 

Some of the recent beneficiaries of The Bateleurs:

• • Vulpro – several rescues of injured birds of prey. 
• • Wild dogs and cheetahs to and from Malawi.
• • Project Rhino: anti-poaching support, patrolling and de-horning ops.

Executive aviation plays a crucial role in Africa, both in terms of connectivity and in the economic development of the region. This is the message of Alcinda Pereira, chair of AfBAA and co-founder of Angola's successful Bestfly.

“A business jet is not a luxury, it is a tool that gets you from A to B – this is a reality we want to push in Africa,” she said.

She added that executive aviation provides a ‘fast, efficient and crucial’ way to travel between countries and regions within Africa – a diverse continent where land transportation options may be very limited.

Pereira is referring to the ‘multitude of gaps’ when it comes to Africa’s connectivity maps, saying the executive aviation sector should not just be aimed at leaders in government, or VIPS.

She went on to offer strong examples of the lack of connectivity, mainly due to lack of communication with governments often resulting in lack of permits between nations.

“A mining investor or corporation in Durban, South Africa, for example, might want to visit a potential site in the Copperbelt in Zambia. To fly commercially, the fastest possible time is 18 hours 35 minutes, including two changes – and with no guarantees of on-time arrivals and connections.

“By car it would take almost 28 hours without stops,” she explained.

“With a private plane, the distance is just 1,000nm and a midsize jet like the Challenger 350 would do the mission in just two hours. An executive, industry leader, investor and the team that supports them could be there and back home with their families the same day. The alternative transport would be a three-day trip for the same time meeting. So, having a ‘tool’ to do business like a private plane – a jet or turboprop – the value is immeasurable.”

Pereira also shared her own experience of her nation’s national basketball team, due to attend an international sports event and being let down.

“Angola’s national federation had chartered an aircraft to take both the men and women’s teams to the event,” she explained. “A flight permit request had been made in good time to the host country. As the players arrived at the airport at 5am the clearance had still not been granted.  Twelve hours later the disgruntled players went home.

“The aircraft had sat on the tarmac all that time – and still no flight permit. It destroyed some hopes and dreams that day. This incident is typical of the barriers Africa’s executive aviation industry faces.”

Not many of us may have heard of the city of Lubumbashi. It is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, we should know it.

“Lubumbashi is one of the richest places on our continent, and do you know why?”

Pereira then picked up my mobile phone and said: “Because of these. Mobile phones/cell phones, whatever you call them, they are made from the natural product in Lubumbashi, and the world relies on them.  Yet, there is no easy access route for the workers. The examples I have given you, are just a few of too many.”

As chair of AfBAA, Pereira wants to see the process of Africa matching other parts of the world, such as Europe and the U.S, allowing the sector to thrive for the benefit of all.

“We need to look at a number of areas to highlight the benefit of business aviation, such as security,” she said. “Business aviation is increasing investment into ensuring secure and private environments in the air and on the ground. Meeting preparations can be done in the air with nobody else potentially listening in.

“We need to look into stimulating tourism and business. Executive aviation makes it easier for tourists and business travellers to visit Africa, which can boost the tourism sector and attract foreign investment to the region. South Africa has been ahead of the rest of the continent with its private internal flights to game lodges, to cities and places not served well by the airlines. It has approximately 450/550 business aircraft movements.”

Pereira is keen to mention that infrastructure is also an important topic for African governments to work together on.

She said: “AfBAA represents the interests of the sector across the whole African continent – all 54 countries. Believe it or not, the executive aviation sector plays an important role in developing airport infrastructure and related services, which can benefit the local economy as a whole.

“There are opportunities for airports to ensure that the business aviation sector is supported by appropriate facilities. FBOs – or executive terminals – maintenance facilities that are of a standard comparable to the rest of the world.”

“Of course, this, it cannot be forgotten, all leads to job creation – which is hugely needed on the continent.

“Executive aviation generates direct and indirect jobs in areas such as airport operations, aircraft maintenance, catering services, logistics and more, thus contributing to economic growth and income generation in the region,” said Pereira.

“Let me tell you, in Europe – a geographic area a quarter the size of Africa – employs 450,000 people in business aviation alone and generates 100 billion Euros in economic output annually. Business aviation connects 1,400 European airports, of which only 500 are connected by commercial airliners.”

Pereira, co-founder of BestFly, along with her husband, Nuno Pereira, said their experience of working with the Angolan government is proof that things can change.

“BestFly has had an FBO with a full service for 12 years now – I mean a VIP terminal with all the services with customs, immigration and police. This service is very difficult to find in Africa, but we managed to do it in Angola because we had the support of our government,” said Pereira.

BestFly has also made a bid for the new airport in Luanda, Angola’s capital.

“We had a small consortium with the other two partners, but we are the Angolan partner of this consortium which is bidding for the management of the new airport.

“At this stage, it's open only for cargo flights, but in November, they are aiming to be open to all the flights. The only thing that is not certain at this stage is the private jets as questions are being raised as to where they are going to put them.

“So, we are still waiting for the government to decide that but they’re being very cooperative, and BestFly is an example of how Africa throughout can operate.”

Touching on being chair of AfBAA, Pereira said she likes to address herself as a ‘share person’.

“One of the things that I would like to bring to AfBAA is a new mentality,” she explained. “I joined AfBAA 14 years ago, and this was a dream that myself and Nuno had with Tarek Ragheb, the former vice president international for the Middle East and Africa at Gulfstream, and we had a dream to bring more standards and to bring a more technical side for Africa as well, as well as make use of all the natural resources it has.

“I would also like to mention that it is important to me to help the future generations of this industry, of both men and women, in Africa, because young people need to have guidance, they need to be educated.”

Pereira concluded that business aviation ‘is different’ to commercial air transport, but it is still very much a significant cog in the wheel of air transport as a whole.

“Issues like permits continue to be a thorn in the side of our industry and one of the biggest issues that affects the progress of the sector, but failure to understand it, can lead to diplomatic reputation concerns.

“At the end of the day, the key message is that, collectively, all governments and stakeholders of our industry make sure that we as Africans will implement the best practices on our continent, the diversity of countries brings diversity of challenges, but I still believe that some of us will change the mentality, change the way to conduct business because we are proud Africans. As the AfBAA campaign said: “No Plane – No Gain” and that is a message to Africa’s governments too.”